Happy Birthday, Nami
by Alastair
Summary: It's Nami's birthday on the Going Merry, and the boys give her their gifts. All except Luffy that is. But he says he's already given it to her! Can she find it before the end of her birthday, or did she ever really need to search at all? LxN


**Happy Birthday, Nami**

"Nami," Luffy said.

She blinked at the sight of him hovering over her before she yelped, and pushed him away, "Luffy! What're you doing in my room?"

Making a shushing gesture – a finger held to his mouth – he said, "You'll wake them up."

Finding her eyes locked onto that sole finger pressed against firm lips, she had to remind herself that Luffy probably didn't have the slightest clue about how intrusive he was being. Nami said, "Fine. Now what are you doing?"

"I can't sleep," he said, and she smiled, patting her bed cover in an invitation to sit down.

He didn't sit down. Instead, Luffy pulled down the covers, and climbed in, disregarding her filmy, pink and white negligee. When Nami was a sufficient shade of red, he blinked incomprehensively, and she had to force calmness upon herself before she said, "Luffy, why are you in my bed?"

"So we can talk," he smiled.

With a heavy sigh, she shook her head, calling him a grand, lost cause in her book before she just situated the covers over them both more securely. She said, "All right, but if you touch me wrong, I'm cutting off your fingers."

Pursing his lips, he stared at Nami a while, his brows wrinkling to show his perplexity over her statement before he said, "You mean there's a right way to touch you?"

"What!?"

He frowned, and put his finger on her lips, "Shh! You got to be quiet, remember?"

She nodded after a moment, blinking at his remarkably pleased face, and said to his finger, "Do you _want_ to touch me, Luffy?"

The young man considered her for the longest of seconds before smiling warmly with a nod, "Yeah, I'd like to if you'd let me." Of all things in the world that she had expected from him, a wink was at the end of a rather long list. He said, "Should I get you out of that thing?"

Immediately scowling, Nami pushed his shoulders slightly, "Oh, no way, pal."

"Won't it be easier if you're naked though?"

"What, and let us be caught in the heat of the moment without _some_ kind of barrier between us?"

Luffy pouted, and said, "I wanted to feel your skin though."

She almost consented. "No," she said, "this is safer for us." Feeling relieved when he nodded at last, she smiled at him before her eyes smoldered. "So, what exactly do you know, Captain?"

"About what?"

Knitting her brow, she said, "About how to touch a woman, of course."

"Well," he said, and scratched his cheek, "I don't know if you'd like it, but I've always wanted to lay my head on your boobs. You look comfy."

"I'm … comfy?" Nami couldn't tell whether it was a compliment or some strange joke that he was trying to pull on her.

"Yeah," he said, and Nami decided that it was just his form of attempting to flatter her appearance – even if it meant he liked her plush 'boobs.' She supposed that his endeavor hadn't been a complete failure, however.

"Okay, you can lay your head there," she said, blushing to her roots when he instantly planted his face in her bosom, and sighed, his hot breath tickling her.

Fuming from the odd sensation, she raised a fist, ready to pummel him through the bed, floorboards, and into Davy Jones' Locker if her captain did anything more. Luffy merely laid his head down though, and she slowly dawned upon the fact that his breath was normally hot, and that he wasn't trying anything foolish. Barely a second passed before she heard a snore, and she gaped at him, seeing his eyes closed in his slumber, lips slightly parted to puff hot air onto quickly sensitive flesh. Heat shot to her face for a new reason, and Nami kept herself from bashing his rubber brains out through his nose and eye sockets.

Fidgeting a bit while he continued to sleep, Nami then sighed, folding her arms around him tenderly. After her last, long, drawn-out sigh, she joined him in sleep at last.

!#$&()+

He wasn't there when she awakened, and she frowned at her natural set of pillows as if they might take the blame, but then she rose to greet the day with a sigh. While coming down the hall to go to the kitchen, she thought, _He should've stayed this morning._

"Happy Birthday," they said as she entered, and her light scowl smoothed away.

Allowing a bright smile to take over her features, Nami thanked them rather graciously, and rained sunshine at the assortment of gifts, and the special Birthday Breakfast for the Delightful Gift from the Heavens Themselves created by Sanji.

Finding places to buy gifts while sailing in the middle of an ocean was beyond ridiculous. Though, she accepted Zolo's wad of cash – both as a birthday present and for his major debt. She swindled some more off him for good measure since he had been hiding it from her in the first place though.

Nami found herself smiling at Usopp's little mechanical toys – some odd wind-up animals. There was a monkey that jumped up and down in somersaults, a cat which would stretch leisurely, a shark that wagged its tail in some effort of swimming – which actually worked under water – a duck which waddled about adorably, and a little armadillo that would roll into a ball and then across the table.

Sanji's gift to her was the wonderful breakfast, and a sweet – though unnecessarily drawn-out – poem:

"Your skin glows like the orange; blossoms brightly as the tulip in the purest hope of spring.

"My heart follows your flute-like voice and leaps like a _dog_ at the whisper of your name.

"The evening floats in on a great nightingale's wing.

"I am comforted by your words that I carry into the twilight beams and hold next to my lips.

"I am filled with hope that I may dry your tears of blood.

"In the quiet, I listen for the last song of the day.

"My heated breath leaps through my soul.

"I wait in the moonlight for your secret tenacity so that we may create as one, breast to breast, in search of the magnificent and mystical obstacle of love."

Luffy frowned – in which she secretly delighted.

She was certain that Sanji's flouncing during his poem hadn't helped.

Upon receiving the birthday gifts from the others, she looked expectantly at her captain, smiling at him. He didn't budge, and she glanced down the table real quick in case she had accidentally missed some wrapped mound of whatever he was giving to her, but found only the remainder of their breakfast. Nami looked at him again, biting her cheek when he just scratched his nose.

She said, "Ah, Luffy, where's your present?"

"I gave it to you last night."

Sanji flung himself at their rubber captain, screaming, "What the hell are you talking about!? Shit for rubber brains! You better not have done anything to the beautiful Nami-swan. I'll never forgive you!"

Ignoring the happenings, Nami rose, and went to her room, trying to remember if he had the chance to slip anything to her or under her pillow. She checked there first, and then went through her sheets before she dropped to her knees to look under her bed. As the confusion began to build, she went to her desk, rifling through the maps on it before she began to open drawers. Her closet was searched next; however, she found no bauble or hastily wrapped gift like she was half-hoping for, and then her door opened.

Luffy said, nursing a slightly bruised jaw, "Nami? What's wrong?"

"I … I can't find it." She said, feeling a mite idiotic, "Where'd you put it?"

The corner of his lips quirked upward for half a second before he was grinning as broadly as ever. He said, "I'm sure you'll find it. No, I know you will."

As he went to sit on her bed, she stared at him uncomprehending, and said, "Luffy. You did get me something, right?"

"Yeah, you have it."

Her head cocked hard, more confused, "What? You said I didn't find it yet though."

"You still have it though, Nami."

She was sent into something between a half-mad rage and a blushing, bewildered titter for the remainder of the day. While it continued throughout the hours, she noted that Luffy spent more time with her – almost following her out into the ocean once when she had decided to take a swim.

She had asked after dinner if he was giving her time for her birthday, but he had looked at her oddly.

"That doesn't make any sense," he said.

"Well, neither does hiding my gift!"

Luffy took her hand, which was another thing that she had become aware of during the day. That he was touching her a bit more, a bit longer than usual.

He said, "I'm not hiding it."

"Damn it, Luffy," the two turned to look at Sanji who was at the sink, washing dishes. He didn't look up from his work, but he said, "Sometimes, it has to be said. No one can read minds, and I'm sure that Nami-san has been teased long enough."

"Ah?"

Snapping, he turned, and pointed a soapy finger at Luffy, "Say it now or I'll kick your shitty ass!" With such stated, he searched his pocket for a cigarette, and left in an obvious huff as he left.

"Oh, okay," he said, and Nami frowned, wondering about why they were speaking as if they had already talked about the gift.

Luffy grasped her other hand as well, and she looked up, making eye contact just as he smiled. She began to smile back, feeling warmth crawl into her cheeks as he leaned in to kiss her, holding her form completely still just with the support of his adamant, sure lips. Her lips parted just slightly in surprise, having not been entirely sure what he had been about to do, but then Nami closed her eyes to revel in it, purely enthralled with the way he kissed.

Flowery or magical sentiment had never been his forte, she knew – he was hardness and unyielding conviction and a thousand other words for strong. The art of his kiss was not about the poetry, the moment, or the gesture, but about firmness. He kissed her – never demanding, but speaking to her plainly and with candidness. Luffy didn't make a promise with his kiss, but fulfilled one.

"Nami," Luffy said. "I love you."

!#$&()+

**THE END**

!#$&()+

_I didn't just ruin everyone's hair with sap, did I …? Oh, and if anyone's wondering about _The Wonderful Wizard of Oda_, it's, of course, not over. I've been a bit busy with translating some LxN doujinshi, but that doesn't mean I'm taking a break from the weekly updates of stories/chapters! I shall strive to update something once a week! … At least until the end of the Thriller Bark arc! –nod nod- Also, this isn't a part of the _ALPTN_ thing I have because … I said so. Nyaah!_

_P.S._

_Random poem generators are fun, and Sanji enjoys them too._

!#$&()+


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